Listen Up Parents

How many Mr. & Mrs. Delle Donne read this forum? How many soccer versions of Elena are out there?

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/vid ... id=3795996

Re: Listen Up Parents

She probably started feeling that way at U13, I wonder why

Re: Listen Up Parents

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said that even though there aren't a lot of examples of players who have left the sport at the college level -- or never started, as is the case with Delle Donne -- he thinks there are more who sort of punch their time card in college than people realize.

"The average fan assumes that every kid loves to play, but that's not the case," he said. "Sometimes they play because they just happen to be good. Or because they're tall. Or they need a scholarship. Or their mom and dad want them to play.

"I don't think with some kids [that] it's burning in their belly every day. It's just not."

Fennelly also believes the "push" on younger players now has changed the way some of them look at the sport, turning it into more work than play.

"As college coaches, we see it," he said. "The true love/passion for the game is fading for some kids because they are pushed so hard. Whether it's parents, high school coaches, AAU coaches -- it's hurting [players].

"I go to AAU tournaments now and watch 11- and 12-year-old kids who have better uniforms and gear than my team has. They've traveled and played all over the country, and it's not a big deal for them now. There's still, obviously, a lot of great parts to the game for young people. But it is different, and it's not going to go back to the way it was."